ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 30: Alex Rios #51 of the Texas Rangers hits a sixth inning double scoring Elvis Andrus #1 during the American League Wild Card tiebreaker game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on September 30, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

2013 review: Though the Rangers stood pat through the July
31 deadline, they acted quickly to grab Rios from the White Sox for Leury
Garcia shortly after Nelson Cruz’s suspension. He put up a .280/.315/.457/.772
line for his seven weeks with the Rangers, remarkably consistent with his
career line of .278/.324/.443/.767. More
signs of consistency: Rios hit .278 with a .324 OBP for the year; those are
also his career numbers for batting average and OBP. He finished the season
with 156 games, the fourth time in his 10-year career he’s passed 150. He’s
been quite durable throughout his career, averaging 145.5 games per season.

Outlook in 2014: Rios spent the bulk of his season
hitting in the No. 3 spot and his .755 OPS for 129 total games there is a
little light, but he’ll almost certainly hit fifth in 2014. He’s got a career
OPS of .806 for 858 at-bats in the No. 5 spot. That’s just a tad above the AL
average (.782) for the duration of his career. The No. 5 spot figures to be the
lynchpin to the lineup. If he can produce runs from the position, the lineup is
going to look thicker and more dangerous. If not, it could give pitchers plenty
of reason to pitch around Adrian Beltre and Prince Fielder.

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